Secrets, stars and battle scars
by Artemisia Selene
Summary: Max is abused at the Orphanage, and when she is adopted by a superstar family, will she ever be rid of the pain that has haunted her for 16 years? FAX and possible EGGY. T because i am paranoid and for bad language.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Max POV**

I can't believe it. Angel and I were going to be separated. This could not be happening. I was going to California, while Angel would be going to the other side of the world: Mexico. I was on the plane, and Angel's last words to me were forever imprinted on my brain.

FLASHBACK

Angels golden head looked up at me for the last time. We were at the airport, waiting for our flights to be called, trying not to cry. Angel's big blue eyes filled with tears. "I will always remember you Max. You took all the hits, all the pain; you gave up your food for me. You almost killed yourself so many times. I will miss you, and I hope that you have some happiness in your life." My little baby was growing up. We hugged for the very last time and walked away, not certain if we would meet again.

END FLASHBACK

That was the first time in 17 years that I had ever cried.

Wait, I haven't even introduced myself. Sorry, I am kinda overwhelmed by grief here. I am Maximum, and my little sister is Angel. We don't know who our parents are, and we have always lived at the orphanage. It was hell. I would get hit, and I would take Angel's beatings.

There were other kids there, and I would take their beatings too, because I cannot stand children getting hurt, at all.

We were just about starved, and we were not taken care of very well. Now, Angel and I would be split up, and I most probably wouldn't see her again. I pressed my head against the window and held back my tears. I needed to be strong. For Angel.

Sorry the chapter is so short, next one will be longer, i promise

Artemisia Selene


	2. Chapter 2

**Fang POV**

Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy and I were jamming in the basement, working on our new song, when Mum came down. "Iggy, Fang, could you please go pick up your new sister from the airport?"

I smiled. If she was good looking then I would get first dibs.

Iggy and I quickly put away our guitars and ran to my car. It was a black hummer, and perfect for impressing a new girl.

Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy and I were a band called Ride, and we were world famous. We lived here, in California, while school was on.

Iggy and I got to the airport and waited in the terminal.

Soon enough, a tallish girl with blonde hair in a braid and dark eyes heads towards us. She is wearing a pair of jeans and a brown leather jacket done all the way up, giving us absolutely no info on her figure, although you could tell that she was pretty. But one thing was for sure: This girl had been through a lot.

Her cheeks were slightly sunken, and she looked absolutely exhausted. I gave her a dazzling smile and held out my hand. "Hey, I'm Fang Ride. I expect that you have heard of me?"

the girl looks at me and it is like a fire has been lit in her eyes. "I have heard of a Fang Ride, but only in passing. I am Maximum, but call me Max, otherwise I kick your sorry, good for nothing ass all the way to damn fricking Mexico." She had spoken quietly, almost whispering, but loud enough for me to hear what she had said.

She had a beautiful voice, velvety and sounding like it should belong to an angel.

I was surprised. Usually girls were screaming their heads off when they saw us, and they would have fainted if they were going to be living with us.

Iggy broke the tense silence. "Well, hey Max. I am Iggy, and I am guessing that you have heard of me as well?"

Max shot him a glare that made him flinch. "Yes, I have heard of Ride, a pop group or whatever. Look, could we just get out of here and into some slightly fresher air?" she picked up a backpack and walked past us, towards the door.

Iggy and I shot each other a look that said _what the hell is her problem_ and raced to catch up.

**Max POV  
**I stalked out the door and stood there with my arms crossed. It was bad enough that I had to be spilt up from Angel, but to be stuck with a pair of players, that was just cruel and unusual punishment, and believe me, I know punishment.

I watched Iggy and Fang come out the door. Iggy was tall and white, with really blond hair and ice blue eyes. Fang was the opposite colour wise. His hair was really black, and his eyes were the same. His clothes were also black, and he looked like he had been pampered all his life, and being a supposed singer, I wouldn't be surprised if that was true.

Fang started to lead me to a black car when Iggy asked "Where is the rest of your luggage?"

I shrugged. "I don't have anything else." Fang gave me a strange look and laughed.

"Come on, where is the rest of your bags. You can stay with the Hummer while we go get them."

I frowned and said "As I told you, I don't have any luggage. I don't have many belongings, something that you wouldn't be familiar with."

Fang and Iggy shot each other a look which clearly said: _Crazy person_.

I gave them both a glare that made them take a step back and climbed into the stifling confines of the car. As it started up, I hunched up against the window and watched the world fly by.

I started to murmur my usual mantra. _Please get me out of here; please get me out into some fresh air._ I repeated my mantra to myself and ignored all efforts at conversation.

**Iggy POV**

This girl was a damn enigma. She acted like she had never seen us before, and she was so cold towards us.

Her glares were the worst. They seemed to be all like, _I can take anything you throw at me._ It was really annoying.

I tried to talk to her, asking her questions and stuff, but she just glared at me and looked away.

I started to put on some music and, at Fangs urging, turned it up really loud. It was one of our albums, and I was sure that Max would recognise it. But strangely, she seemed to have no idea what was on.

She frowned and had a puzzled look on her face. I turned it up louder and Fang and I started to sing along. Max sat up straighter and held her ears. "Turn it down!" she yelled, but I ignored her. She held her ears tighter and squeezed her eyes shut.

**Fang POV**

Iggy had turned on one of our CD's, but Max did not seem to like it.

She was holding her ears and mouthing something that seemed to look a lot like swear words. There was a break as the song ended and Max opened her eyes and looked relieved.

She opened her mouth to say something, but then a new song came on. Now, Iggy and I were used to really loud music, but this girl mustn't be.

Her face screwed up in pain and she doubled over. I was just about to turn around and see what the matter was when she sat up, reached forward and, doing some absolutely amazing bending, turned off the music.

She shot back against her seat and looked me in the eye and said "Let me out of this car."

I looked at her in shock. "Why the hell do you want to get out?"

Even Iggy was shocked, and it took a fair bit to do that. "I want to get out of the car." Max looked me in the eye and glared.

Iggy explained "We can't let you out; you don't even know where home is."

"Believe me; I know exactly where home is." Max said venomously "And it is not on this continent."

I gave her a glare of my own as Iggy slowed the car to a stop. "Fine. It is at 7 Ocean road, the blue house on its own, right in front of the sea, and on this continent." I looked at Iggy in amazement. He was just going to let her tell him what to do?

She nodded and got out of the car, taking her backpack with her. "Hope I _don't_ see you there." She shouldered her bag and set off running.

Iggy pulled back out onto the road. "You really let her do that? Mum will kill us!" I yelled at him, and he looked at me with a superior look on his face.

"We just blame her, considering that we will get there first." I smiled at his logic and settle down for the drive. I thought of something and turned to Iggy. "By the way, I get first dibs."


	3. Chapter 3

**Max POV**

I was so relieved to get out of the car and stretching my legs.

They thought that they would get there first no doubt. Well, I would prove them wrong. Turning away from the road, I ran toward the slight smell of the sea that was on the breeze. I had a good sense of smell, from attempting to sniff out more food for Angel, and my legs were strong.

I reached the sea in 30 minutes, and was lucky enough to see the house. I ran towards it, and in 5 minutes, I was there.

I walked up the driveway and got run over by two German Shepherds. They were all over me, licking and jumping and barking excitedly.

I had always been good with animals, better than I was with people, and these shepherds were no acceptation.

"Molly, Jack, where are you?" called out a woman's voice, and I heard the crunch of gravel as she walked towards us. "Oh my god! Jack, Molly, get off that poor person right now!"

I saw a hand reach down and grabbing at the collar of one of the dogs.

"I am fine, really!" I called, and I gently pushed the other dog off me. Standing, I saw a tall, middle aged lady in a pair of shorts and a singlet holding Jacks collar. She was Hispanic, and had beautiful brown hair and eyes.

She gasped when she saw me. "Max?" she asked, and she accidently let go of Jacks collar. He ran towards me, but I was too fast for him.

I dove out of the way, and ran up the driveway. I gave a few barks and soon Molly and Jack were behind me, trying to capture the girl with whom they had had so much fun with. I saw the large blue house with a dog enclosure next to it.

Putting on a burst of speed, I run through the open gate. The dogs followed and I shut the gate. Before the dogs could get me however, I leapt over the tall fence and landed on the other side.

The Hispanic lady ran up to me and said "I am so sorry Max; I had planned for them to be in their pen before you got here. I am Dr Valencia Martinez, and you will be living with me and my family."

She then looked around and asked me "Where is Fang and Iggy? They were meant to pick you up." I was about to answer when the black car came up the driveway.

**Fang POV**

I was sitting in the car, feeling confident that Max wouldn't be home, and that she would be exhausted enough to open up, when I saw a tall girl in a jacket and boots, with blonde hair, standing next to my mother.

I paled, and so did Iggy. That girl was Max.

Iggy parked the car and we both got out, ready for a good talking to. And to put the icing on the cake, Max didn't even look winded. In fact, she looked better than she did when she got off the plane, if that was even possible.

"Mum, we can explain." Began Iggy, but Mum cut him off. "Oh, I know what happened all right."

She started to walk towards us but suddenly Max was there. "I was the one to ask Iggy to stop the car, I was the one who got out and I was the one who ran here. So if you are going to get angry at someone, then get angry at me. I will not let you yell at people who haven't done anything wrong to do with this!" Max said defiantly, and she stood up straight.

We were all taken back. She had just defended Iggy and I, and she seemed to hate us.

I smiled. Maybe she didn't hate us.

Before I could hide my grin however, she spun around and glared at me. "I will not stand here and watch people be punished for something they didn't do, not because I like them." Max whispered forcefully, and the smile slipped off my face.

Mum regained her cool and said to Max, "Well, thank you for owning up. Would you like to come inside and see your new home?" Max sighed and looked up at the house. An emotion I can't put a name to flickered across her face before disappearing.

"Okay." Max whispered, and headed up the stairs.

**Max POV**

I walked up the stairs, still annoyed by Fang's expression. He looked like he thought that I only saved his ass because I didn't hate him.

Well, he can take that and shove it up his overblown ego.

I hate it when people get blamed for crimes that they didn't commit. I usually take any blows that come their way, but out of a sense of protection, my main weakness.

Fang brushed past me in the entry way and held out his hand. "Would you like me to show you to your room?"

I sighed and flashed a look out the door, where I could still hear Jack and Molly barking and growling. I thought a little bit about staying with them, but I couldn't.

Fang seemed a bit disappointed that I hadn't taken his hand, but he showed me to my room anyway. It was a deep blue colour and had small spots of silver on the walls. I looked around, missing Angel even more.

Fang cleared his throat and I turned around to face him. "Well, would you like to come and meet the rest of the family?" Fang asked.

But no sooner did he ask when a tall, mocha skinned girl in a swim suit came rushing in. "OMG, you are the new girl! My name is Monique, but everyone calls me Nudge. Oh, I like your outfit but are you sure that you are not hot? Where did you come from, do you have any siblings and, ooh, have you ever hmphh." The girl got cut off by Fangs hand over her mouth.

"Nudge, breathe and close your mouth." I had just tensed up, ready to tear Fangs hand off of Nudges mouth, when he gently took it off and headed towards the door.

"I had better go get Gazzy, and see if he would like to meet her." called Fang as he walked down the hallway.

"Okay!" Nudge yelled back, and then she turned to me. "So what is your name? Wait, let me guess. Is it Holly, or Alice, or Sadie?"

I shook my head no and said "My name is Maximum, but call me Max, not Maxine or anything." I looked her over, taking in her deep brown hair with a white highlight, and her big chocolate brown eyes. She looked nice, but I wasn't taking any chances.

Hey, thanks for reading the story!  
Please read adn review, and tell me anything i need to change, although i wouldnt say no to any compliments!  
I dont own maximum ride, or any of its characters.  
Artemisia Selene


	4. Chapter 4

**Nudge POV**

This girl, Max, looked like she had been through hell and back.

Her cheeks were hollow, and she had this look in her eyes, like she could take anything you throw at her, and she wouldn't make a sound.

I smiled at her, but the sad, haunted look in her eyes did not fade at all.

"So, have you seen the sea before?" I asked, walking to her window.

Max shook her head and looked out the window, towards the sea. "Well, would you like to go for a swim, since the ocean is our backyard?" I asked, and when she nodded yet again, I smiled at her. "Do you have a swimsuit?"

Max nodded. "Do you think I could just take a few minutes to put some stuff away? It will only take 10 minutes?"

"Of course!" I chirped and turned away, only to see Gazzy coming into the room.

"Hello! Are you Max?" said Gazzy, and he ran over and hugged Max. Or at least, he tried to.

Max slipped to the side at the last moment and was now standing over near her bed.

"Sorry." She said at our expressions. "I'm not much of a huggy person."

Gazzy nodded his head like he understood but he sent me a look saying: _only crazy people don't like hugs._

Max's expression tightened and I saw a flash of hurt go through her eyes. "My name is Zephyr, but most people call me the Gasman or Gazzy." Said Gazzy in a cheerful voice and Max made a small smile. "I think I have an idea why you are called that."

Gazzy giggled and ran out of the room, brushing up against Max before she could turn away.

Calling over his shoulder, he yelled "I will tell the guys that we are swimming in ten minutes."

He ran down the hallway, jumping around more than a jumping bean would. I shook my head at Gazzy's antics and smiled at Max before leaving her to get ready.

**Max POV**

I sighed. Gazzy was so like Angel that it hurt. I walked over to my backpack.

I didn't really have much time to pack anything before I got chucked on a plane to here.

Grabbing out my swimsuit, I walked into the bathroom to put it on.

It was a full body suit, covering my arms, legs and feet. At the Orphanage, we would get beaten. Or, technically, I would get beaten. I would take everybody else's hits, and then I would get beaten more for it.

My entire body was covered in scars from those beatings, and like hell I was going to show them to a pair of players and their innocent younger siblings. Getting a shirt out of my bag, I headed out to the backyard.

Nudge came rushing up to me as soon as I left my room. "OMG, Max, what are you wearing!" she yelled.

I cringed and told her that it was my swimsuit. "Max that is not something you should swim in! You should be wearing a bikini or…" Nudge trailed off, as if only just noticing how skinny I was.

We did not get feed well at the Orphanage, and I would be constantly giving my food to other kids. I had muscle, but I was still skin and bones.

"Uhh, Max, why are you so skinny?" asked Nudge a little fearfully, as if scared of the answer.

I couldn't all out lie to a kid, especially someone younger than me, so I gave her the edited version. "There wasn't always enough food to go around, and the younger kids would be fed first, and since I was the oldest, I was fed last. I would also give away the majority of my food, but I am fine."

Nudge looked at me in pity, and I got a little angry. "Everything is fine Nudge. I am just skinny." Nudge nodded and led me out to the ocean. I had never been to the ocean, but I used to go to a river near the Orphanage to swim with the other kids.

I made a lot of animal friends, and I hoped I would be able to do the same here. I started to run down to a small cliff overhanging the ocean, ignoring Nudges yells, and threw myself off.

**Cliffhanger! Hope you are liking the story!**  
**Artemisia Selene**


	5. Chapter 5

**Fang POV**

That new girl, Max, was skinny, as in really, really skinny. I watched as she walked down to the beach with Nudge. I mean, the girl was practically skin and bone, and maybe a bit of muscle.

Suddenly she was off, running towards the cliff. I was frozen. The last kid to jump from there broke his neck.

Nudge was yelling, but before we could stop her, she threw herself off the cliff. He dive was perfect. She went further out than any of us had every done in a single jump, and had even done a somersault in mid-air before landing in the water.

I started to swim over to where she had landed, hoping that she wasn't too hurt when suddenly, metres away from the landing zone; Max flew out of the water like a dolphin, and splashed back in again. I was stunned. I felt something tap me on the shoulder and I quickly turned. Behind me was Max, looking at me with a concerned expression. "How the hell did you do that?" I asked, and Max looked at me in puzzlement.

"What do you mean, how did I do it? That's an easy jump!" I looked at her in amazement and was about to answer when the others came rushing up to us.

They all started asking questions all at once but I held up my hands for silence. "Max, that cliff broke someone's neck when he dived, because of the rocks. You are the first person I know who has dived there and come out alive."

Max gave a glare and said "Oh, stop pulling my leg. Those rocks are nothing compared to something places I have seen. Just because I am new here, it doesn't mean you have to try and scare me into becoming another notch in your belt."

We all gaped at her and Iggy asked "What do you mean?"

Max gave him a glare and said "As if you didn't know! You and your brother are players, and don't even try to deny it." Iggy gave her a shamed faced look and we all started to play.

Iggy and I surfed while Gazzy, Nudge and Max swam around and watched us. I expected to see a look of admiration on Max's face as she watched us, but all I could see was curiosity, her eyes tracking our every move, as if she was trying to learn how to do it herself.

Soon Iggy and I swam around with the others, and I saw Max swim away. The sun was setting, and she soon stopped, just looking, and she had this look on her face that was difficult to describe. It looked like pain, homesickness and just plain loss. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked. Wrong thing to do.

Her face closed up instantly and she said "I am absolutely fine." I gave her a look that said _I don't believe you_, and she gave me a glare. Suddenly, we heard Nudge scream. I saw a tall fin coming up out of water. It was a shark.

**Max POV **

I saw the sharks fin, and I shot myself in between the shark and the others.

I ignored their yells and just concentrated on the fish swimming towards me. I held out my hand and spoke softly to it, showing that I wasn't a threat. "Hey, shark, do not worry. We are not enemies and we are not food. I am our friend, and will help you."

The shark lifted its head out of the water and looked at me with a question in its eyes, like _why aren't you running away in fear?_ I slowly swam closer to it and laid my hand on where its cheek would be. As it leant into my touch I slowly rubbed, and it calmed down, becoming more docile and friendly. Soon I sent it on its way and turned back to the others, checking to make sure they weren't hurt.

"How the hell did you do that?!" asked Iggy, and I gave him a questioning look.

"What else do you do when an animal comes up to you? Run away so that it thinks that you are going to hurt it?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed, but then turned red as he thought of what I had said. I shook my head at him.

"Sharks are one of the easiest animals to calm down, unless they are half starved. It is elephants and snakes that you need to be more careful of." I replied, and headed towards the shore.

"But, how on earth did you know how to do that?" the Gasman asked and grabbed my arm. I quickly slipped it out of his grasp before he could feel my scars.

"Sharks always respond well to a gentle hand, soft words, slow movements and the smell of water on your skin. It helps calm them down, but you have to be careful not to make any sudden movements, loud noises, hard hands or smell of chicken. They hate chicken for some reason." I explained, and turned away as they gaped at me.

"I understand animals, and that is all you are going to get out of me on that subject." I grabbed my shirt and started to dry myself off.

"What is with using a shirt for a towel? Don't you have a towel?" Nudge asked, and passed me a towel. I just shook my head no and squeezed out my braid before flipping it back over my shoulder.

We all went inside and got changed back into our clothes. It was soon dinner time. As I walked into the kitchen I stopped dead. There were heaps of plates of food, and it all looked as if it was hygienic and healthy, not just the tasteless slop we had gotten at the Orphanage.

I must have looked stunned at the sight, because Fang decided to laugh at me. "You look like you have never seen spaghetti Bolognese before!" I decided not to answer that and took a bowl that had a small amount of food in it.

"Hey Max, that is my bowl." Gazzy said with a smile and took the dish out of my hands, replacing it with a bigger one with more food. I wasn't going to eat it all, I know that much. I sat down at the table and waited for everyone else to start eating before I touched mine.

I ate mine slowly, because I didn't want to make my lack of appetite too obvious. "So, how do you like your new home, Max?" asked Dr Martinez. I told her it was cool and ate another spoonful of pasta and meat. I almost sighed at the taste.

Then Nudge started talking about the shark. "Mum, guess what happened while we were swimming! A shark came up to us and Max swam over to it and rubbed it and talked and sent it away. She is so cool, and she was all like oh, that was nothing, and like what do you mean how did I do it and mph!" Fang had stuck his hand over her mouth as she was talking.

I narrowed my eyes a little and coiled my muscles. If he didn't let go of her soon I would throw him against the back wall. "A shark came towards us while we were swimming. Max went up to it and talked to it. She gave it a pat and it went away." Iggy explained and Dr M looked at me in amazement.

"What? It is no big deal! It was either stop it or let it tear you to shreds." I said, and I put my fork down. I had eaten maybe a fifth of my dinner, and I was full for the first time in my life.

Dr M shook her head and said "That was very brave of you, but I would rather you don't do that again. Beginners luck only works once." It was my turn to gape at her.

"I am used to doing things like that! How can you not do that?" These people must be more pampered than I thought if they thought that stopping a shark was amazing.

Dr M decided to let that topic drop. When the others were finished we all took our plates to the sink. "Max, you won't get any dessert if you do not finish your food." Said Fang, and he held up my plate.

"Dessert?" I asked and he looked at me like I was a crazy person.

"How can you not know what dessert is?" he asked and started to laugh at me. That made my anger boil over.

"Not everybody has as much money as you, to live like this. So don't go being all uppity and laughing just because I haven't lived like you have!" I yelled, and he looked surprised.

"Max, aren't you hungry?" asked Gazzy in a small voice.

I shook my head and he looked at me in bewilderment. "You hardly ate anything!"

I was starting to get a bit sick and tired of the constant interrogation. "My appetite is permanently screwed up, and I do not eat much. So can you please just stop with all the questions!" Everyone looked stunned. I sighed and turned away, mumbling something about needing to go for a run. I walked out the front door and ran like the wind, letting everything disappear into the feeling of my feet on the ground and the air in my lungs.


	6. Chapter 6

**Fang POV**

We all stared at the door that Max had disappeared out of. We were stunned.

Her appetite was screwed up? What does she mean by that? Mum sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She does that when she is confused.

"Fang, follow her. She doesn't know anything about here." I let out a sigh of my own and went out the door. I had a general idea about where Max had gone, but I couldn't see her.

I start running again. I suddenly heard growls and howls. There were said to be some wolves around here, but I never thought I would see one. I turned around and behind me were 10 to 15 wolves. And they looked hungry.

"Nice wolves, good wolf, don't eat me." I said and slowly backed up. But the wolves didn't seem to like that.

Then Max was in front of me, growling at the lead wolf. "Leave him alone, now!" she yelled and surprisingly the wolf fell back. A couple of smaller ones leapt at Max, but she just swatted them away as if they were flies, always keeping her eyes on the wolf that seemed to be in charge. She spoke to the wolves again in a voice too low to make out. Then, all the wolves turned tail and ran into the night, with just the lead wolf standing there, staring at Max.

She walked towards it, got on her knees and patted it. The wolf seemed to lean into her touch, and then it ran off, with a warning growl at me.

Max turned around and gave me a glare that scared me more than the wolves had. "What the hell are you doing out here?" she asked with her hands on her hips.

I gaped at her before finding my voice. "You are out here too."

She just sighed and shook her head before looking up at the moon. "You better head home."

The question must have been clear on my face because she continued with "I need to work off some steam, calm myself down. I don't like having my personal life pried into and I don't like having to answer a hundred odd questions. I will be back at the house later." I shook my head and ran home, relaying her message to mum.

For some reason I didn't mention the wolves, and I don't know why. I laid down on my bed. Max looked better when she was outside, in nature. It was if she was more alive, feeling more safe. I felt like I was falling for her, and the strangest thing is that I don't mind.

**Max POV**

Fang was an absolute idiot. You don't go following people you have only met today into the woods.

I sighed and ran after the wolves. I always felt better after having a play with some of my animal friends, and the wolves I had met were friendly enough.

Once I caught up with them, they were all over me like flies on honey. The younger ones were very boisterous, while the older ones seemed to be content with just licking me from head to toe. I took of my jacket and jeans.

Underneath I had a tank top and a pair of short leggings. The wolves started to run and I ran with them. For hours I kept up with them, feeling content for the first time since I left Angel, when I started to fall back from the pack. I was getting tired, and the wolves seemed to understand that.

I got invited to ride on the back of a wolf, and we were off once again, flying across the ground, becoming one with the night. It was 1 o'clock in the morning when I got back to the blue house, and of course no one was awake. I climbed up to my window and pushed it open. Lying down on my bed, I slept.

A couple of hours later I woke up. It was 5 in the morning.

I got out of bed and chucked on a pair of dark full length leggings with a long sleeved T-shirt with a wolf on it. I gave a small smile. It was almost symbolic of what happened last night. I made sure to put on my necklace underneath the shirt.

Now, I am not a fashion or jewellery person, but this necklace was the one thing I was found with. It was a pair of silver wings, dotted with black and white. I always kept it near me, unless I was swimming or something like that.

I went for a run and by the time I got back Gazzy and Dr Martinez were awake and making breakfast. Gazzy flashed me a smile as I walked through the door, last night seemingly forgotten.

While Gazzy cooked, Dr M took me aside and apologised for all the questions and that. She didn't mind me going for a run to calm down, but would rather if I didn't stay out as late in the future. Dr M had to go, since she was going on this 4 week long trip around the UK, doing some vet classes and stuff. Everything was fine, and I attempted to help with breakfast as the rest of the family came down.

**Fang POV**

By the time I woke up and got downstairs, Max was already up. I mean, she seemed to not sleep, as in, ever.

It was 7.30 in the morning, and Max looked slightly flushed, as if she had been running. She was trying to help with breakfast, but she didn't seem to know who to use any of the electrical things.

"Max, you kind of have to plug in the beater before you can beat the eggs." I told her, and she gave a small sigh, and handed the appliance to me.

"I have no idea how to use any of this stuff, and if I try I will probably burn the house down." I smirked at her and took the beater, as she gathered plates and cutlery.

Soon Nudge came down. "Everyone, listen! We need to go to the mall and grab some stuff for school tomorrow, and Max will probably need some new clothes too! We could go to Surf Plaza and -!" Max had walked up behind Nudge and tapped a spot on her jawbone, and Nudge couldn't move her mouth or make a sound. Gazzy looked at Max in amazement

"How did you do that?"

Max gave him a look and said "I can't explain how it works, but it does immobilize your jaw, tongue and voice box, so it stops you from making any sound with your mouth." Gazzy nodded and went back to cooking.

Max gently tapped Nudges chin and the two points of her jaw, and she was able to speak yet again.

I decided to speak up. "Okay Nudge, we can go to the mall. I just need someone to go and wake Iggy up." Max volunteered.

I smirked, thinking that she would take 20 odd minutes to wake Iggy, since he slept like the dead, but no, a minute later Iggy was running down the stairs faster than I had ever seen him run. He was covered in feathers and murmuring something about crazy birds. Max followed at a more leisurely pace carrying a piece of bread.

"Iggy, how did Max get you out of bed so fast?" I asked him, pulling some feathers out of his hair.

"Max had put bread on me and a bunch of birds came flying through the window and were eating the bread. They woke me up because they would peck me as they pecked the bread. I jumped around, and the birds flew around, and they suddenly they flew out of the window."

I gave Max a look and she smirked slightly. "Birds love bread, and they are happy to come into a house to eat and leave when they are told."

We all gaped at Max. "What? Birds like me and are always willing to get free food." Max shrugged and started to eat.

I shook my head at her ability to seemingly control animals and started my own breakfast.

**Hey, thanks for reading my story! Please review! **  
**Artemisia Selene**


	7. Chapter 7

**Max POV**

Playing that prank on Iggy was fun, but also a bit sad. I had done the same thing to Angel and Ari at the Orphanage, and it brought back some bad memories. I shook them off and waited for the others to finish their breakfast.

"Okay, everybody get ready to shop!" called Nudge, and I followed her up the stairs. I changed my shirt for a plain shirt with my leather jacket and of course my necklace.

I pulled on my boots, grabbed my backpack, and waited on the stairs outside. Half an hour later, everybody came hurtling out the door and down the stairs. If it wasn't for my quick reflexes, I would have gotten trampled, but luckily I was fast.

Nudge stopped dead when she saw me. "Max! You can't go out looking like that!" I looked at myself. Boots, a pair of jeans, a leather jacket and blonde hair in a ponytail with some feathers attached.

"I want to go out like this. You can't make me change." I said defiantly, and I walked over to the car. Nudge sighed and we all piled in. The mall was two hours away, and I wasn't sure how I was going to survive staying in the stifling confines of the car for that long.

I was sitting at a window with Nudge beside me and Gazzy beside her, with Fang driving and Iggy in the passenger seat. Iggy did put on some music, but he didn't put it on as loud as he did before. It didn't hurt my ears like it did the first time, but I would rather be out running than in this car.

Fang and Iggy sang along to this song, and then Nudge joined in for the second. I remembered something about Fang, Iggy, Nudge and Gazzy being a band, and my eyes widened when I figured out that they must have written the songs on the CD. I sighed and let my head against the window. My life was hell at the Orphanage, and it was going to be hell here. Oh joy.

We took a break at a petrol station an hour after we headed off and I quickly jumped out of the car and promptly started choking on the gas fumes in the air.

"Max, are you okay?" I heard Gazzy ask, and I shook my head and ran. There was a small corpse of trees nearby and I stood under their branches with my back against a tree, slowly clearing my lungs.

Fang walked up to me with a bottle of water. I took a sip and grimaced as it fell down my throat. It tasted metallic and just plain bad, but I choked the bottle down anyway, knowing that it would help.

"Are you okay Max? Are you sick or something?" fang looked at me with concern, but I didn't trust him. They last guy who looked at me like that ended up giving me a bunch of scars.

I rolled my eyes and said "I am fine. You don't need to act all concerned for my wellbeing. There are plenty of other girls who would fall into your bed for that, but I am not one of them." And with that I walked off and got into the car.

An hour later we were there. The mall was bigger than anything I had ever seen, and there too many people there for comfort. We all got out of the car. Nudge seemed super excited to start shopping, and she knocked me out of the car and fell on top of me, driving me into the concrete. I was fine though, and ignored all efforts at helping me up of checking me over.

"Oh Max, by the way, Mum gave you this." Iggy pulled out a small rectangle of plastic. It was a credit card. "Mum put 2 thousand dollars on it, and every Sunday you get a thousand dollars put on the card." He told me the code and I slipped it into my pocket.

We walked into the mall. I had only ever been to small shops, and that was very rarely, so this was an assault on the senses. Just inside the doorway was a toy store. Gazzy looked at it longingly. He was a 9 year old, what would you expect.

I leaned down to his level. "Gazzy, would you like to go in?"

Gazzy looked at the others and said in a small voice, "Nah, the others don't like going into toy stores."

My angry boiled over at that one and I gave Nudge, Iggy and Fang a glare. Then I took Gazzy's hand and pulled him into the store.

"I have never been inside a toy store, and like hell I am going to leave you out there just because your siblings don't want to be seen in here." Gazzy gave me a full blown smile and ran off to what I guess is the boys section. I walked around until I saw something that took my breathe away.

It was a white bear with a halo and an angel outfit. Angel had one a lot like it, except it was torn and dirty. But she loved it with all her might and named it Celeste. I went over and grabbed the bear, and took it to the counter.

I paid for it and went to look for Gazzy. He had a couple of things in his arms but was looking in longing at this stuffed bear. It was wearing army fatigues and had a cheeky look, like Gazzy did. I reached over his head and grabbed it, guessing that he didn't want to be seen as a baby for buying a stuffed toy.

HE smiled at me in thanks and we went to pay for our purchases. I put Celeste in the top of my backpack, leaving her head sticking out, and I placed Gazzy's bear inside my bag where no one could see him, giving him a secret wink. Fang and Iggy started laughing as we walked out of the store.

"The great Maximum, buying an angel teddy bear? How cute!" Fang teased, and Iggy started laughing anew.

I looked at them with hurt in my eyes. They were laughing at me.

I felt Gazzy let go of my hand and he walked over to Fang and Iggy. He slapped them both across the face, and I went up to kick them were the sun don't shine.

"Buying a stuffed bear out of remembrance is a crime now? You are both more heartless than I originally thought. Players and bullies. What a nice combination." I said in a whisper and I saw Iggy's already pale face turn the colour of milk.

I walked off, and I felt Gazzy's small hand latch onto mine. Nudge walked up beside us and with that we left the other two in shock.

**Fang POV**

My only thoughts were WTF!

Gazzy, who had always stood by me, had just slapped me across the face!

And Max actually showed emotion, and then proceeded to kick me in the balls!

Nudge and Gazzy go off with her, and now they are all against me!

And all because of a stupid comment. Iggy and I looked at each other and hobbled off, trying to find the others in this mass of people.

**Sorry about all the swearing, and how did you like Max showing emotion? Was it okay?**  
**Artemisia Selene**


	8. Chapter 8

**Max POV**

After we left Iggy and Fang behind, Nudge and Gazzy dragged me into various shops.

The first shop was called Ally, and Nudge was trying to convince me to try on this strapless top and a pair of really short shorts. I couldn't, not without showing off 17 years' worth of scars, so I walked away, finding a pair of nice jeans with jewelled wings on the pockets. I brought it and waited outside with Gazzy while Nudge paid for her clothes.

We walked into a shop called City Beach. I took Gazzy over to the men's section, while Nudge looked for swimsuits. I helped Gazzy buy his stuff, and Nudge came up to me with a bikini that according to her I 'had to try on'. I kept shaking my head no.

She then proceeded to buy it, then tell me all about how good it would look on me and yadda yadda yadda when I locked her mouth. I felt a bit sorry for her, but I just couldn't show her my scars. The locking the mouth trick was used by the torturers at the Orphanage, so that we wouldn't wake other kids or alert anybody to what they were doing.I worked out how it was done, and now I finally found a use for it.

I took pity on Nudge after a few minutes and removed the lock, nut she still gave me a glare anyway. I ignored it.

We saw an art shop, and without further ado I was there. I always loved art, drawing and sculpting whatever I could to give the other kids a little happiness, but my 'supplies' had to be left behind. I flew around the shop, gathering some stuff I would need to make my art. It consisted of: Paints in various colours, pencils in various colours, pens in various colours, an A4 sketch book, an A3 sketch book, a bunch of lead pencils, an outliner pen, some clay, paintbrushes, a notebook, a writing pen and a small canvas.

It all fit in my bag, and soon Nudge and Gazzy were hungry. We found the food court, and I found us a table whilst Nudge took Gazzy to buy some food.

I wasn't hungry, so I waited for them to finish and we were soon on our way again. We walked around, and I did end up getting some clothes. I got a silvery coloured leather jacket, a plain black long sleeved shirt, a t-shirt with a wolf on it, a couple pairs of jeans, and a pair of dark green converse and a light green singlet with a pair of wings on it.

We went into a music shop, and I saw the guitar display. I walked over and fell in love with a green one. It had an angel on the back, and tears mixed with blood rolling down the front. It reminded me so much of Angel, and my life, that I just had to get it.

I know how to play guitar, and liked to write songs, so I was glad to have a proper, fully operational guitar to play around with. Fang and Iggy caught up with us outside the shop, and we all walked to the car. I ignored both the boys, and in the car I wrote down the lyrics to my songs while everyone else sang along to the CD.

**Fang POV**

Max was surprising. She was still angry at Iggy and I, even though it was 5 at night and we had teases her about her bear at around 10-ish. Most of the time, if I made a girl angry, she would be angry for a couple of minutes and then be all happy and trying to get my attention again.

Max however, was just avoiding me entirely. I wasn't driving this time, because Iggy is better at driving when it is getting darker.

We got home and we all got out of the car. Except for Gazzy. He was asleep, most probably tired out of his mind.

And do you know what the most amazing thing was? Max's expression actually softened a little bit, and she shouldered her bag before unbuckling the Gasman and picking him up. She carried him up the stairs no problem at all, and I know for a fact that Gazzy was no lightweight. Considering that Max was carrying all her stuff and Gazzy's, I thought that she would have collapsed under the weight.

She carried Gazzy up to his room, took off his shoes and placed him in bed, before grabbing all of his stuff out of her bag, including a bear that looked a lot like the little boy sleeping. Max walked out and went up to her bedroom, and I went to mine.

I pulled out my stuff and put it away, before walking downstairs to have breakfast. I checked my phone and found a dozen missed calls from Lissa. Lissa was my girlfriend, at least, for now. I have slept with most of the girls in the school, and Lissa was just another one to tick off the list.

But Max wasn't going to be easy to get to. For a second I felt guilty about planning to use her, but I quickly smothered that emotion before it could evolve into something bigger.

I gave Lissa a call. She was red headed and green eyed, and an absolute slut. She has slept with almost every guy in year 11, and that is saying something. "Hey beautiful." I say, and I hear her high pitched laughter.

"Oh, hey Fangy-poo! Want to come to my place tonight?"

I sigh silently, keeping my voice calm despite my annoyance at that idiotic nickname. "I can't come over tonight babe. Mum is away, and there is school tomorrow. I will get grounded if I leave tonight."

I can almost see her ridiculous pout as she says, "Okay Fangy, but you had better make it up to me tomorrow." We say our goodbyes and I hang up. I head towards the kitchen where Iggy is putting together dinner.

"Hey Fangles. Was that Lissa on the phone?" he asked cheerfully as he flipped a burger.

"Yeah, just the usual 'I want you to screw me crap'" I said, and I started to cut up tomatoes and onions.

Iggy shook his head in mock pity. "Poor you." I smiled and continued assisting with dinner.

**Hey, thanks for all the positive feedback, and i am so sorry if this chapter is a little short.**  
**Artemisia Selene**


	9. Chapter 9

**Max POV**

After I put Gazzy to bed, I went and put my stuff away. Grabbing my new guitar I walked down to the basement, where I had been told was the practise room of the band.

Inside was a bunch of musical instruments and microphones, but I wasn't interested in any of those things. I just wanted to play my music.

I sat down on a stool and started to play a song I had written. It was called 'A team' and it was kinda about Angel and the rest of us from the Orphanage. **(A.N: I do not own this song. It belongs to Ed Sheeran.)**

_White lips, pale face  
Breathing in snowflakes  
Burnt lungs, sour taste  
Light's gone, day's end  
Struggling to pay rent  
Long nights, strange men_

_And they say  
She's in the Class A Team  
Stuck in her daydream  
Been this way since 18  
But lately her face seems  
Slowly sinking, wasting  
Crumbling like pastries  
And they scream  
The worst things in life come free to us  
Cause we're just under the upper hand  
And go mad for a couple of grams  
And she don't want to go outside tonight  
And in a pipe she flies to the Motherland  
Or sells love to another man  
It's too cold outside  
For angels to fly  
Angels to fly_

_Ripped gloves, raincoat  
Tried to swim and stay afloat  
Dry house, wet clothes  
Loose change, bank notes  
Weary-eyed, dry throat  
Call girl, no phone_

_And they say  
She's in the Class A Team  
Stuck in her daydream  
Been this way since 18  
But lately her face seems  
Slowly sinking, wasting  
Crumbling like pastries  
And they scream  
The worst things in life come free to us  
Cause we're just under the upper hand  
And go mad for a couple of grams  
And she don't want to go outside tonight  
And in a pipe she flies to the Motherland  
Or sells love to another man  
It's too cold outside  
For angels to fly  
An angel will die  
Covered in white  
Closed eye  
And hoping for a better life  
This time, we'll fade out tonight  
Straight down the line_

_And they say  
She's in the Class A Team  
Stuck in her daydream  
Been this way since 18  
But lately her face seems  
Slowly sinking, wasting  
Crumbling like pastries  
They scream  
The worst things in life come free to us  
And we're all under the upper hand  
Go mad for a couple of grams  
And we don't want to go outside tonight  
And in a pipe we fly to the Motherland  
Or sell love to another man  
It's too cold outside  
For angels to fly  
Angels to fly  
Fly, fly  
For angels to fly  
To fly, to fly  
Or angels to die_

I finished off with a final strum of my guitar and listened to it fade. I wrote that song 2 years ago, and it was a favourite with the younger kids, especially the more emotional ones. I started to play another favourite, hall of fame. **(A.N: I do not own this song, it belongs to The Script.)**

_Yeah, you could be the greatest  
You can be the best  
You can be the King Kong banging on your chest  
You could beat the world  
You could beat the war  
You could talk to God, go banging on his door  
You can throw your hands up  
You can beat the clock  
You can move a mountain  
You can break rocks  
You can be a master  
Don't wait for luck  
Dedicate yourself and you can find yourself_

_Standing in the hall of fame  
And the world's gonna know your name  
Cause you burn with the brightest flame  
And the world's gonna know your name  
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame_

_You can go the distance  
You can run the mile  
You can walk straight through hell with a smile  
You could be the hero  
You could get the gold  
Breaking all the records that thought never could be broke_

_Do it for your people  
Do it for your pride  
How you ever gonna know if you never even try?  
Do it for your country  
Do it for your name  
Cause there's gonna be a day_

_When you're standing in the hall of fame  
And the world's gonna know your name  
Cause you burn with the brightest flame  
And the world's gonna know your name  
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame_

_Be a champion, be a champion, be a champion, be a champion  
On the walls of the hall of fame_

_Be students  
Be teachers  
Be politicians  
Be preachers_

_Be believers  
Be leaders  
Be astronauts  
Be champions  
Be truth seekers_

_Be students  
Be teachers  
Be politicians  
Be preachers_

_Be believers  
Be leaders  
Be astronauts  
Be champions_

_Standing in the hall of fame  
And the world's gonna know your name  
Cause you burn with the brightest flame  
And the world's gonna know your name  
And you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame_

_You could be the greatest  
You can be the best  
You can be the king kong banging on your chest_

_You could beat the world  
You could beat the war  
You could talk to God, go banging on his door_

_You can throw your hands up  
You can beat the clock  
You can move a mountain  
You can break rocks  
You can be a master  
Don't wait for luck  
Dedicate yourself and you can find yourself_

_Standing in the hall of fame_

All the kids liked that song, because it reminded them of what they could be that just because they were treated like absolute shit, it doesn't mean that they were absolute shit. I quickly wiped my eyes to get rid of my tears, and I put my guitar back in its case. I remembered the first time I played the kids that song.

FLASHBACK

I sang 'hall of fame' for the kids and for a moment they sat there, stunned. We were in the forest, the one place where I could play for the kids, give them a little happiness. Then, all the kids jumped up and hugged me.

Believe me, when 27 kids have just jumped on you, you kinda tend to fall down. So there I was, with all the kids in the Orphanage laying on top of me, eating what I could scrounge up that night.

"Max, that was a good song but, do you think I could do those things?" asked Sadie. She was a small girl, smart, and one of the more emotional kids.

I shifted my arm so I was holding her hand. "Sadie, you can do anything you want, be anything you want, as long as you put your mind to it. Don't worry about those sons and daughters of bitches. If you believe you can do it, then I do too." She smiled at me and lay back down.

I was entirely pinned, my whole body was hurting like hell, but I felt happy and content, knowing that my family was safe, at least for now.

END FLASHBACK

Sadie was given to a new family only weeks after, but before she left she ran over and gave me a big hug, saying that I was her guardian angel, and without me she would be dead. I am no guardian angel, but I did stop her from getting killed, so I just she was partly right.

I walked upstairs and put my guitar away, but as I was coming back down I heard whimpers and sobs coming from Gazzy's room. I carefully walked in and there was Gazzy, wrapped in a ball on his bed, with tears running from underneath his closed eyelids.

I carefully picked him up and sat down by the window with my back up against the wall. I wrapped my arms around him and slowly rocked him, calming him down. He was having a nightmare, like every kid from the Orphanage did. I was still holding him and murmuring soft things into his ears when Fang walked in.

**So, please tell me what you think! If it is too cliche or cheesy, plz let me know!  
Also, thanks for all the positive feedback! I have a plot idea for a new fanfic, so stay posted!  
Artemisia Selene**


	10. Chapter 10

**Fang POV**

I had just finished helping Iggy with dinner and was getting the others when I walked in on Max and Gazzy all curled up near the window.

Gazzy was asleep on Max's lap, and she was holding him and rocking him all gentle like. Then she looked up at me. I saw the question in her eyes: _What are you doing here?_ And I had to admit that it hurt.I mean, I wasn't as close to Gazzy as Iggy is, but still, Gazzy is my brother!

Then I noticed that Gazzy wasn't asleep, at least, not fully. He was kinda half awake, still all dull and groggy from sleep. He snuggled up closer to Max, and she held him tighter.

He was clutching her hoodie, murmuring stuff in his half dream state, and believe me, the dream seemed to be more of a nightmare. He started lashing out, trying to kick and punch everything in reach. Max just took this all in her stride.

She stood up and walked in a small circle with Gazzy in her arms, softly murmuring things into his ear and allowing him to kick and punch her. I walked over and reached out to take him out of Max's arms, but Gazzy squirmed away at the last second.

He kicked out again, this time giving Max a good black eye, and then he woke up. "What?"

Max sat him down on his bed and knelt in front of him, looking at him with these really serious eyes. "Gazzy, everything will be okay. I will not let you get hurt in any way, shape or form, and I will always be here for you. I will make sure that nobody you care about gets hurt, and I will make sure that you are never alone. You will always be safe."

I gaped at her. This was one of the longest speeches I have ever heard her say.

Gazzy looked at her in amazement and tears actually came to his eyes. "Max, thank you so much!" He gave her a big hug and I swear I saw tears in her eyes.

"You never need to thank me Gazzy. Now, it is time for burgers." Max said, and she jumped to her feet and chucked Gazzy on her back. She ran down the stairs with Gazzy laughing like a maniac. I followed at a calmer pace, and I watched as Max literarily flipped Gazzy into his chair before sitting in her own.

I stared at her all through dinner. As we were cleaning up, she walked over to me. "May I know why the fricking hell you were staring at me?" she asked with a scowl on her face.

I put away the sauces and turned to her. "I never knew you had a heart Max, and I never thought you were that caring." I sneered.

Max stared at me, with her mouth slightly open, hurt showing loud and clear in her eyes. I felt as stab of guilt but I quickly squashed it.

She shook her head and said "That was low, even for a player like you. I sure do have a heart; otherwise I would have killed you already, for what you are doing to Gazzy!" I gave her a look of complete astonishment and she snorted. "He looks up to you, and respects you, and cares for you so much, but you don't even notice! Hell, you won't even go into a toy shop with him, because you think it will ruin your rep!" Max came up close and poked me in the chest. "One of his greatest fears is that you will hate him that you will leave him alone, without any shoulder to cry on. He is having nightmares and hardly getting any sleep because he is afraid that you will leave him, that he will disappoint you!"

Max slaps me across the face, and man, is she strong. I fell to the floor. I never knew that Gazzy had nightmares, or that they were because of me. I knew Max wasn't lying, because even though I have only known her for a couple of days, I can tell that she isn't a liar.

Max looks down at me with something like pity on her face. She sighs and walks off, but not before giving me a good kick in the leg. I ran my fingers through my hair. I was so confused.

**Max POV**

That stuck up, no good, lying, hurtful, deceitful idiot! Gazzy thought the world of Fang, and Fang didn't even know.

I shook my head. He was hurting Gazzy so bad, just like Sam did to Angel. I went out the door and ran my heart out, trying to force down the sobs that threatened to burst through my tough mask.

Sam was a boy around Angel's age. He was good looking and I protected him form the people at the Orphanage, like I did for all the kids. He saved Angel from drowning one day, and then she treated him like a hero. He found out about it, and used to use her, taking her food, using her blankets and using her stuff. She didn't care, he was her hero, but at night she would have more nightmares than usual, afraid that she would disappoint Sam.

He got adopted, and when Angel went up to hug him goodbye, he pushed her away, and laughed at her when she burst into tears.

He had been using her, and she cried for weeks afterward.

I wasn't going to let that happen to Gazzy, because no one deserves to be hurt like that. No one. I was running about in the forest, and a branch suddenly leapt out and whacked me straight in the eye, the one that Gazzy had kicked. I didn't even wince, forever used to the pain, and kept on running.

**Me: So, how did you like them apples! Was it good, was it bad, was it okay? Tell me, plz?**  
**Echo: Please just review already, before she has a heart attack from worry**  
**Me: Hey! I wouldnt do that!**  
**Max: Would too!**  
**Me: I wouldnt! And i made you a good person in my story! You should be with me!**  
**Fang: You will have a heart attack if people dont review**  
**Me: No i wont! Besides, Max gets to beat you up in my story! SHouldnt you be begging me to change that?**  
**Fang: Nope**  
**Gazzy: Arty's gonna have a heart attack!**  
**Me: grrrrrr (chase gazzy and tackle him)**  
**Nudge: Hey, dont go having a heart attack, i mean, cause that could kill you, ansd you could go to heavenwith all the rainbow unicorns or hell with the black unicorns, or rainbow unicorns if there are any in hell, or maybe even black unicorns in heaven. But unicorns dont get to wear shoes, and that is bad, cause i found the awsomest pair of shoes, and they were baby pink, or was it sunset pink? I think it was in the middle but...**  
**Me: Why is it pick on Artemisia Day!?**


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning

I woke up at my normal time and went for a run, but this time I ran for longer. I wanted to burn off some steam before school; otherwise some people might lose various body parts.

I haven't been to a real school before. At the Orphanage we would be taught stuff in class, and because I was the eldest, I would be called upon to help teach the younger kids. Because of this I was pretty smart, but not an A+ student.

By the time I got back to the house, everyone else was up and finishing their breakfast. "Hey Max, you missed breakfast!" called Iggy, and I walked over to the tap to get a drink.

"It's okay; I don't usually get to eat breakfast in the mornings." I said absentmindedly and I quickly spun around when Nudge gasped. "What do you mean; you don't usually get to eat breakfast?"

I mentally slapped myself and said "I meant what I said, and I didn't mean to say it, so just forget about it and let it go." But the look on Fang's face said that he wasn't just going to let it go.

"Why didn't you get any breakfast, Max?" he asked with a voice like thin ice. And I am proud to say I slightly lost it.

"Well Fang, when you love 27 kids and they feel like they are your brothers and sisters, you tend to do crazy things to keep them going. There was not much food where I came from, and so we did not get much breakfast. I haven't eaten a proper breakfast for 17 years, the most I used to have in the morning was water. So, you can pull the stick out of your ass, shut your mouth and try to imagine what it would be like to starve yourself for your family. Because I don't think that you would be able to even give up a crumb of your food for them." With that I turned away and ran up the stairs, leaving the others speechless. I had most probably said way, way too much, but it was worth it to see the shock on Fang's face.

I got changed into my wolf shirt and my new leather jacket, a pair of jeans and my boots, before chucking on my necklace. I put all my school stuff into my backpack and I walked downstairs.

I was waiting at the car for an hour before everybody came out to the car. We all jumped in and headed off to school. I ignored Fang when he tried to talk to me, and he eventually stopped, and man was I relieved.

I didn't want anybody prying into my past. If others found out, then the people at the Orphanage would probably kill the kids out of spite. And no matter what they did to me, I couldn't have them kill the kids. I was going to have to watch myself, and make sure that I didn't let anything slip; otherwise my family was going to die.

Once we got to school, I slowly jumped out of the car and looked around. We had a single room to act as the classroom, and that was at the actual Orphanage. I followed Iggy and Fang to the part of the school for seniors, and waved goodbye to Nudge and Gazzy. The two boys showed me where the office was and waited for me outside while I got my schedule.

Homeroom  
Period 1: Maths  
Period 2: PE  
Period 3: Biology  
Lunch  
Period 4: Art  
Period 5: World History  
Period 6: Music

Iggy grabbed my schedule as soon as I left the office. "Hey Max, you have half your classes with me and half with Fang, and we also have the same lunch!"

I sighed. "Which do I have with which?" As it turns out, I had PE, Art and Music with Fang, and Maths, Biology and World History with Iggy.

They were both in my homeroom class. We walked off to homeroom, and we were almost there when some red head leapt out onto Fangs back. My reaction was one of instinct.

I grabbed the girl's hair, pulling her off his back and onto the ground, as well as putting my body between the others and the attacker, braced for a fight. But the girl just lay on the ground with her butt in the air, showing off her ass.

Fang and Iggy gaped at me, until the girl sat up and squealed like someone had just stuck a knife into her, and believe me; I know what that sounds like. Fang snapped out of his daze and went to go help the girl up. She was wearing a tiny strapless top, a very, very short skirt and the tallest heels I have ever seen. And they were all in varying shades of pink.

"Max, how the hell did you that!" Iggy asked, turning to me in amazement.

I kept an eye on the girl as I answered. "It was just a gut reaction. I should have let her break his back!"

Fang turned to me with an accusing expression on his face. "You just hurt my girlfriend!" I gave a short bark of laughter and turned away, only to have Fang grab my shoulder.

Now, my entire body still hurt from the people at the Orphanage, and it would probably hurt forever. My reaction was entirely instinct and anger. I grabbed his hand and flipped him over my shoulder onto the ground, then sending him flying into the lockers. He slumped to the ground, before standing up and giving me a glare.

"What the hell was that for!" he yelled.

I raised an eyebrow at him and shrugged. "I have a gut reaction to idiots touching me." And with that I walked off to class. Fang, Iggy and the red headed followed me, and sat down in what I guessed to be their seat.

I stood up the front as the teacher asked me to introduce myself. "My name is Maximum, but call me Max. If you don't, then you will suffer for it." I saw a couple of kids laugh at my name, but I gave them an icy glare and they shut up real quick.

"Okay, Max go sit down next to Iggy and Fang." said the teacher, going and sitting at his desk at the front of the room. I sighed and stomped to my seat next to Fang.

I ignored him all during homeroom, and I tried to block out the noise of him and his girlfriend making out. I had my small sketchbook with me, and I drew a picture of Angel with white wings, wearing a silver dress. It was a beautiful picture, and I made a mental note to hang it on my wall as soon as I got home.

"Hey, nice picture!" said a voice from beside me. I swiftly covered up my drawing and glared at Iggy. He put his hands up in defence.

"I was just being nice." He pouted, and I had to overcome the strangest sensation to laugh. I rolled my eyes and got up as the bell rang. I went over to my locker to grab my maths stuff, and there was the red headed bitch that was sucking Fangs face.

She poked a finger at me. "Hey, just because you get to live with Fang, doesn't mean that you can get together with him. He is mine."

I gave a scornful laugh and poked my own finger at her. "You can have him for as long as you want. You are a slutty bitch, and he is a jerk of a man whore. You both match each other perfectly." Then I walked away, leaving the girl speechless.

**Hey, i hopes you liked that! i am sorry if i do not update fast enough but i will try my hardest.  
Please read and review!**  
**Artemisia Selene**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Max POV

I went off to Maths, and then it was time for PE. I smirked to myself. It was time to annoy Fang.

I have always been a fast runner, and now I just might be able to use that to my advantage. I went out onto the oval and saw the rest of the class. Fang and Iggy were there, stretching and jogging on the spot.

I went over and stood a little way from the rest of the class. I just looked around at the oval, saw the trees around on edge, and the long track that surrounded it.

The coach's voice pulled me out of my reverie. "Okay, do as many laps of the oval as you can. Aim for 10!" the rest of the class groaned, by I just walked over to the starting line and got ready to run.

Sadly, Fang came and stood next to me. "Get ready to eat my dust, Maxie."

I stood up as straight as I could and growled. I literarily growled, like a wolf would. Everyone looked at me like I had just grown three heads and Fang was just shocked. Plain shocked.

I put my face close to his. "Never, ever call me Maxie again, otherwise I will hurt you. Badly." I then turned away and got into a prime racing position, which for me is a crouched cat sort of stance.

"Ready and… go!" yelled the coach, and I was off. I was half way around the track by the time most of the class had moved 50 metres. Fang, Iggy and a few other people were close, but none of them were as fast as me. I smirked. I hadn't even gone up to my top speed yet. Fang speeded up until he was level with me.

"Hey Fang, want to have a race? First to finish the remaining nine and a half laps has to do whatever the other says for the rest of today and tomorrow." Fang nodded and we both paused.

Iggy, who was behind us, must have gotten wind of what we were doing and counted us down. "3, 2, 1, GO!" He yelled, and Fang and I were off.

We kept pace for a couple of metres, but soon I was pulling out in front. I was one my 8th lap when I looked back at Fang, who was about a hundred metres behind.

I called out "Check my top speed out, Fangerella!" I started to sprint around the track, passing people again and again, until the world around me seemed like a blur, and I was the only one in it, the track the only thing in front of me. I started to crouch down, quickly starting to run more like a wolf or wild cat would, on all fours. I completed the ten laps in a matter of minutes, but I didn't stop. I kept going and going and going, keeping an eye out on the rest of the class.

When the last person collapsed onto the ground I barrelled towards the end line. My hands touched the line and I catapulted myself into the air, doing a couple of spins before landing in a handstand. I stood up straight, and met the amazed gazes of my peers.

I walked up to Fang, who had his mouth hanging open. "I guess I win then, hey Fangerella?"

He shook himself out of it and gave me a glare. "You had to be cheating. It is impossible for a 17 year old to do that!" I smirked at him.

He had no idea what I am capable of. "Well, it obviously isn't, because I just did it." I smiled inwardly at the outrage in his eyes before walking away.

Fang POV

I watched as Max walked off the oval with a smug look on her face. I mean, I know Max is fast, but I never, ever thought she was THAT fast! I mean, she was practically a blur, and did about 18 laps of the track without breaking a sweat.

No top racer has ever run that fast, not even the 100m sprinters in the Olympics. I shook my head and ran off the oval after Max. It was time for World History, but that was just my daydreaming lesson.

I didn't need to know how any wives some king of England has. My career is practically set in stone. I walked into the classroom and sat at my usual spot at the back of the room. I put my head down on my desk and closed my eyes.

Strangely, the one person occupying my thoughts was Max. The one girl who wasn't attracted to me in the latest. She seemed so strong, yet she could be so fragile that it takes all my self-control not to hold her whenever she softened the tiniest bit.

I shook my head. What the hell was that! I shouldn't be having thoughts like that bout Max! I am a player, breaking hearts every week. I can't fall for her! If I really wanted to I could go out with her.

Mum hadn't adopted her like she adopted me. She had taken Max in, let her live with us, just like she did for Iggy and Gazzy. So, if I did go out with Max, it wouldn't be incest, but Max would never be attracted to me like that.

I shook my head again and started to focus on the lesson. I needed to stop thinking about Max, otherwise I might just do something I will regret.

**Hey everybody! Sorry about the very long delay, but i had lots of schoolwork, and then i had major writers block**.  
**If anyone can work out what king i am talking about i will mention you in my story,**

**Fly on **

**Artemisia Selene**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

_Max POV_

I walked off the track with a smirk on my face. Fang had been so surprised when I beat him in that race, and now he has to do anything I want for today and tomorrow. My smirk faded as I thought about what I was going to tell him. Leaving me alone for the next two days was tempting, but afterward he would annoy me more.

I quickly got to my Biology class seconds before the bell rang and I collapsed into the only spare seat in the class, which was next to Iggy.

"Hey!" he said perkily, and I scowled at him.

"How can you be that perky during biology?"

He smirked at me and leaned in close. "I get to blow things up here." I was ever so slightly stunned. Iggy laughed and grabbed a couple of beakers of some sciency stuff.

He winked at me. "Watch this!" he mixed a few together, added in some powder and out it in a test tube with a stopper.

He stood up. "Hey miss, catch!" The teacher, who had been in the middle of talking, stopped and looked at Iggy.

"Mr Iggy, what are you-" The test tube smashed at her feet, and a cloud of green coloured gas floated up. It smelled BAD! Her face went red, but as soon as she looked at the door her face went white. I leant over and saw the principle, Mr Snow, shaking his head at the teacher. As he walked away her face went red again.

"Iggy, to the office, now!" she yelled, and Iggy jumped from his seat and out the door, pulling me with him.

"Now that was cool." I said as we walked towards the office.

"Thanks. I do that or something like that, almost every lesson. You'd think that the office would've thought to not put me near any explosive or gaseous stuff by now." I shook my head at him and we walked on.

"Hey Holly." I turned my head to see Iggy standing next to a tall girl with a short skirt and singlet.

'Oh, uh, hi I-i-iggy." She stuttered, and she almost fainted when he took her hand.

"Well Holly, if you are ever bored, give me a ring." He wrote his number on her hand and gave it a kiss. "I await your call, mademoiselle."

I scoffed and walked away from the sickening sight. How can a guy play with girls like that! And how can girls believe them! Iggy caught up to me and saw my face.

"What's wrong with you?" I gave him my best death glare and he flinched. "You are what is wrong! How the hell do you play with people and not have a guilty conscience!" Iggy was gaping at me, but I didn't stop. "Have you ever thought about the girls you have played!? How they would be after you dumped them!" Iggy was gaping at me, his mouth opening and closing but no sound coming out.

Then his voice seemed to work. "That is the first time I have heard you yell."

I threw my hands up. "That is what you got from that!" he had the gall to nod! I sighed and stomped off.

"Wait, Max!" Iggy ran up and stood in front of me. "I have never played a girl for that! I'm looking for a steady relationship, and I do date a few girls, but I don't play them!" I gave Iggy a close look. He didn't seem to be lying.

"Okay, I believe you. But Fang is defiantly a player; his 'girlfriend' makes it pretty clear."

Iggy scoffed and waved his hand. "Of course he is a player. But unlike some people he has his reasons."

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "That reason wouldn't happen to be in his pants, would it?"

Iggy smirked and shook his head. "Nah, but that may be part of it."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay then, what is the big reason?"

Iggy shook his head with a serious expression on his face. "I'm not going to tell you. It isn't my story to tell."

I looked at him. "Well, it still doesn't excuse the fact that Fang is a man whore of a player."

Iggy gave me a glare. "Oh, so what would excuse it?"

I looked at him long and hard. "If he had a serious traumatic event, like losing your family, then I would understand. But to the best of my knowledge that hasn't happened to Fang." I then turned around and walked off. The bell had gone. It was time for me to go.

_Iggy POV_

I stared after Max with what could be described as a surprised/shocked/outraged face. How could she just make assumptions about someone she doesn't know?!

I shook my head. Max was an enigma, no doubt about it. Although what she had said about playing girls hurt, but it was a bit of an eye opener. I walked towards the cafeteria, searching for Fang.

I found him and sighed. With the 'cool' crew again. It was starting to get a bit boring. All these people pretending to be our friends just because we are somebody famous.

I looked around the room again. Where were they…? There! I smiled and walked over to my group of friends. They weren't populars, to the surprise of many, but they were cool.

"Hey man, where you been?" Ratchet held up a hand and I high fived it.

"Just chilling. Got kicked out of Bio again."

"Again Iggy?" I turned to a tall, dark haired girl.

"Yep, again Star. Is that really such a surprise?"

"Yeah Star. Iggy is the master at getting kicked out of anything to do with science." Everyone laughed.

"But of course Maya." I laughed, and I started to eat my burger.

"Hey man, is that an Iggy special?" I looked sideways at Ratchet.

"When isn't it?" I always made my food, and my burgers had a bit of a reputation.

"What did you make for Gazzy?" Maya asked, and I chocked on my burger. I gave it a quick look over.

"Crap! I gave him the wrong burger!" Everyone at the table paled, and we all stood up.

"FANGLES! Triple chilli!" I yelled, and I ran out of the cafeteria.

Fang caught up to me quick smart. "Stop giving Gazzy chilli! The school won't be able to handle that amount of toxic gas!" We kept running and I saw Max at the end of the hallway.

"Max! Come with us, quick." Max immediately turned and ran, keeping pace easily.

"What the hell is the matter?

I glanced over at her. "I gave Gazzy a chilli burger."

We had reached the car and Max stopped. "We wouldn't a be able to smell it from over here, surly?"

I didn't say a word. I just opened the door and almost shoved her into the car before jumping in myself. Fang floored it and we sped out of the school parking lot.

Max was still looking a bit confused, so I decided to clear it up for her. "My chilli burgers pack a lot of punch. It can carry the smell a long way, and both schools, middle and high, will probably be shut for a couple a days."

Max nodded. "Ohhh that explains things."

_Gazzy POV_

I ran up to my friends for lunch. "Hey guys! Iggy made me a burger." All my friends took a step back.

"Is it an Iggy special?" asked Tyson.

I smirked and nodded. "Get ready to blow." All my friends looked at each other and grabbed out gas masks. My friend Hal gave me a thumbs up and I started eating. I had just finished when I let one rip. It was a silent one, the best kind. Those closest to us went green in the face, then blue, before running away. I let another one go. This one was loud, and all the teachers looked at me. Then they ran, everybody did, until I was the only one left in the playground. I looked around and smirked. Yep, it true. I really am the gasman.

** Me: Ohhh Gazzy. Someone really needs to do something about your digestive system**  
**Gazzy: Hey, it is your fault for making Iggy give me a triple chilli burger!**  
**Me: Hey, that wasnt my idea, it was Echos!**  
**Echo: Dont blame it one me! Anyway, dont you have something to say?**  
**Me: Oh yeah... Thanks to all the people who reviewed and answered my question! It was King Henery the VIII who had six wives. A big shout out to all history geeks! **

**Artemisia Selene**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Max POV

I looked out the window and tried not to be sick as Fang drove home. Cars always made me sick. I think it has something to do with the petrol fumes. There was no music on for once, and the car was silent.

"Iggy, what did you call me in the lunch room?" Fang looked in the mirror at Iggy for a moment whilst Iggy went red.

"Don't worry." He snorted a couple of times, trying to keep a straight face while Fang just looked slightly annoyed.

"What. Did. You. Call. Me?" he asked and Iggy burst out laughing. Amid snorts and giggles I made out the words 'fangles', 'whole room', and 'dead meat'.

Obviously Fang made out more, because his face went red and he looked pissed. "I am so going to kill you Iggy. Really, fangles? You couldn't have just said something else?" I couldn't help it, I snorted. He two brothers looked at me.

"Fang are you really getting upset about being called Fangles? I mean, there are so many other names that I could call you, and they are much, much worse."

Iggy looked over at me with interest. "What would you call him?"

I waved my hand. "Oh, I shouldn't tell you. It would make Fangy-Wangy all embarrassed." Iggy burst out laughing and Fang glared at me in the mirror. I just stuck my tongue out at him.

He shook his head at me. "Mature Max, real mature."

I gave him an innocent look and said, "But Fangadoodle, I'm not mature. I thought you would know that by now." Iggy was gasping in laughter, and I couldn't help giving a few silent giggles at the sight of Fangs face. It was really red, and if looks could kill, Iggy and I would be dead a hundred times over.

I pouted and reached forward to ruffle his hair. "Aww, poor little Fangarang getting embarrassed now? Iggy, maybe we should stop making fun of the widdle POD, he might just hurt us."

Iggy looked at me, confused. "POD?"

I smirked at him. "Prince of Darkness, considering he is on his royal high horse." This made Iggy slap his knee and laugh his head off. His laughter was so infectious that I started laughing as well. Iggy slowly stopped laughing and both he and Fang stared at me. I stopped laughing.

"What?" Iggy just looked at me with these really big eyes and didn't say a word. I turned to Fang who was looking at me with some sort of unknown expression on his beautiful face.

Wait, I did not just say that. Fang isn't beautiful, he's ugly, hideous, horrible, nasty, foul, obnoxious and, ummm, oh yeah, disgusting. Search any synonyms for the word ugly and you have him… right? Oh who am I kidding. He's gorgeous, with ebony hair, dark eyes flecked with the tinge of gold and a six pack. He was a fricking god on earth. You never heard it from me.

I looked at Fang. "What the hell is the matter?" Fang just cleared his throat and looked at the road. We were going up the driveway now. Only a couple of minutes and I would be free.

"That was the first time we had heard you laugh." I stared at Fang for a moment. He was right, for once. I hadn't laughed in so long. Only Angel could make me laugh, and that was a few years ago. I felt my face close up and I hunched against the window. How could I laugh while Angel is gone? How could I laugh while all the other kids were stuck at the orphanage? Fang took a look at me through the mirror and I glared at him. He flinched slightly and looked away. He parked the car and I practically jumped out of the car.

"Max, wait." Fang reached for my arm and I quickly backpedalled.

He pulled back his arm. "Max, your laugh is fine! It's a beautiful laugh!"

I stared at him. What the hell was that about? "What on earth Fang! Why the hell did you say that?!" Fang looked at me closely, and I squirmed a little, wanting to get out of there.

"I thought it would make you feel better. You obviously don't like to laugh."

My mind was spinning. Why the hell would he care? Why would he say anything? I mean, he is Fang! The school player and breaker of hearts!And yet, he doesn't know anything!

"Well, enlighten me Max." I turned towards him. Had I really said all that out loud? "Yes, you did Max."

I glared at him. "Well answer the question: Why do you care?" Fang went slightly red and looked away.

I started to tap my foot, and he sighed before looking over at me. "I care about you okay. I don't like it when your face closes up like that." I stared at him. I was defiantly doing that too much, but I couldn't help it. He was confusing.

"What on earth!" I was suddenly angry. Very angry. He was like a randomised merry-go-round. He acted like an asshole sometimes, and then he was open, or all serious, and then he would be an ass again. I couldn't keep up with him.

"Fang, you are lying. If you did care then you wouldn't do the things that you do. You are an asshole, idiot, stuck up prick, and a damn frigging emotional merry-go-round!"

Fang gaped at me with hurt in his eyes. "What do you mean, 'an emotional merry-go-round'?"

I looked at him and laughed, but this wasn't a happy laugh. It was a bitter laugh, full of loathing and derision. "Fang, make up your mind. Are you going to be a player asshole, a regular asshole, a thoughtful person or a stuck up popstar, because I do not want to put up with your 'hot one minute, cold the next' attitude. I have had enough of your kind of person to last me several lifetimes." Fang stared at me and growled before grabbing my face with both hands. I was just about to judo flip him and bash him within an inch of his life when he kissed me.

His lips landed on mine, hard. They were soft, so soft, and moved with mine roughly. My hands made their way to his hair before I could out together a thought. Suddenly I pushed him off me. We were both panting slightly, Fangs hair messed up slightly. I couldn't think. No one had done that too me. I did the only thing I was good at. I ran. And the only thing I could think was: Fang didn't lie.

Fang POV

I stared after Max. I don't know why I did that. I guess it just hurt so much when she called me those names, but… I haven't felt this way about anyone before, no one. It was confusing, but kissing Max felt right, however cliché it might be to say that. I looked down at my hands.

When I kissed Max I felt something on her back. It wasn't her bra, because this was all over her back. If I didn't know better I would think they were scars. I walked inside and chucked my bag on my bed.

Then, with the suddenness of a lightning bolt, I sat on my bed, piecing together clues. All of Max's long sleeves and jeans, her skinniness, her lack of appetite, her reflexes and even her fighting skills, as well as her reluctance to talk about her past. Maybe she did have scars on her back, but from what?

**Ooohhh, Fang is starting to piece it all together now! And Max, really, did you have to run away?**  
**Anyway, hope you liked the Fax. it was my first time writing it, so if you could give me any pionters it will send you a cookie!**

**Please R&R!**

**Artemisia Selene**


	15. Chapter 15

Max POV

I ran. I ran and ran then ran some more. Fang kissed me. Fang fricking kissed me! And I let him! I don't know why, but I did. It was so wrong, but why did it feel so right.

These thoughts were racing around my head at top speed and I ran faster, like I was going to outrun them. Like hell I could do that. I slowed down and gradually stopped, looking around at my surroundings.

I was near the beach, close to a small grove of trees, no buildings or human things in sight. Perfect. I sat down and allowed the surf to wander over my toes. Then I just sat there, not thinking, or dreaming, or remembering. I was just being, being part of everything instead of apart from it. Yes, I know that is the kind of deep, cheesy things that I am not known for, but I did say it. I was one with the world (sarcasm intended).

The sun was closer to the horizon when I felt a wet nose touch my arm. I slowly turned and came face to face with a small cat. It was one of those house cats, a ragdoll or something. It was fluffy, and it had big green eyes standing out form its white and grey fur. I gently picked it up and stroked it, murmuring nonsense into its ears.

Then I started talking, properly. "I'm a broken person, you know that? Broken, and a freak. I mean, how many kids have been abused, starved and used as lab rats?" The cat looked up at me, meowing, looking like it actually understood me. But then, I guess, he can.

"Yeah, you can understand me, can't you. You can understand what any human says, even if you don't know what it means. I bet you don't understand what I'm talking about, huh?" I watched the cat with tired eyes and lay back, placing the grey and white bundle of fur on my stomach. "Well, it all started a few years ago…"

FLASHBACK

I was helping Angel with her maths when I got called. I had to go to Mr Batchelder in the office. When I got there he took me into his study. We weren't allowed to go in there, which wasn't unusual, but the adults were really protective of the study. We couldn't go within 5 feet of the door.

A kid once got punished because he put a hand on the door when he felt sick. Now I had to go in there. The inside was… different. It was really white, and had test tubes and a big bed looking thing. It looked like a hospital room. At the time I had no idea what it was, but I soon worked it out.

Mr Batchelder was all nice and smiling, asking me if I felt okay, or if I was sick. I didn't fall for his act. He acted all nice to us, but he punished us the hardest, taking a sick satisfaction out of our screams. He made me lay on the bed thing, and walked away. I kept my eye on the back of his brown and grey hair as he took some stuff out of test tubes and put it into needles, mixed some things and shook others.

He looked like one of those evil scientists, with his lab coat, glasses and evil aura. He disappeared out of my line of sight for a moment, and then reappeared at my elbow. He started to strap me to the bed. I struggled, managing to get one arm out, and bit his hand when it came towards my face. He yelled, and reached for a beaker of yellow liquid, before pouring it on my arm.

It burned! I managed to smack it out of his hand, but it just fell onto my chest and stomach, eating away my shirt and the top of my shorts. Mr Batchelder just stood there, watching my writhe in pain. He was smirking, waiting for me to scream, but I kept my mouth shut. I wasn't going to give that motherfucker the satisfaction.

The burn started to slowly fade, and then the real pain hit. Needles, all sorts of needles, were stuck into me. In my arms, legs and acid burned chest. I couldn't do a thing, being strapped down as I was. I could only lie there, sending the monster doing this to me death glares, and trying my best not to scream my head off.

It seemed like forever until I was unstrapped and chucked out the door. I just slumped where I had landed, trying to get my body to move. The kind ladies in the office decided that they were going to help me, so I was electrocuted and kicked until I stood, then slapped and hit until I left the office. I somehow managed to get to the dorm room, and endured a few moments of silence while the others were in class. I was in so much pain it wasn't funny.

FLASHBACK ENDS

Soon after that I noticed that I could understand animals. Not in the 'animals speaking English' Doctor Dolittle way, but like I could read their body language and translate that as well as speak in a way that all animals could understand. And all because of what that shit faced mother fucking asshole, pardon my French, did. I mean, its fun, being able to understand animals and communicate with them, but I wish I didn't have to go through all that to be able to.

At least I got adopted before they could give me wings. That would have been bad. I opened my eyes at a dark, starlit sky. My throat hurt from talking so much, but it felt good to get everything off my chest, even if it was to a cat. Speaking of which… I lifted my head and looked at the small form on my chest.

The damn cat was asleep! I let my head fall back onto the ground and murmured "Traitor." The cat just shifted its head and fell back to sleep. I managed to get up off the sand without waking the cat, and with him in my arms I walked towards home. Now, I wonder if Nudge likes cats…

**Yes! Another chapter done! Im so so so sorry that i didnt update sooner, but i had writers block and i had school. **  
**I promise i will try to update sooner, and i will have more FAX!**  
**Please read and review! I am aiming for 20 more reviews, so help me!**

**Artemisia Selene**


	16. Chapter 16

Max POV

I walked into the house and saw utter pandemonium. Gazzy and Nudge were in the living room, yelling and screaming at some video game on the TV, and Iggy and Fang were nowhere to be seen.

"Hey!" I yelled. That got the kids attention. They both jumped down from their perches on the lounge and walked over to me, Gazzy with his mouth hanging open. "WOW! You can yell! I mean, of course you would have been able to yell, but I never thought you would cause you are more of a quiet person, not a really loud one and oh my god, is that a KITTEN!" Yup, that was the Nudge channel, on maximum volume.

I just stuck the kitten out to Nudge. "I found her on the beach, I hope you like her." Nudge squealed and started rattling off all these different names, some of which were pretty embarrassing, but I managed to cut in.

"Why don't we just call her Secrets and leave it at that?"

Nudge nodded, and opened her mouth to start rambling again, but I cut in. "Where is Fang and Iggy?"

Gazzy answered, while Nudge sat down on a couch covered in chips, lollies and various other food items. "They've gone to some party at the beach, considering that school has been shut for the next three days." He looked all too happy at that, and I remembered why I had come home so early. I gave Gazzy what I liked to call my 'look of doom' and he visibly cowered.

I turned away and grabbed Nudge before sitting them both on the floor and pointing to the couch. No words were needed, as they looked at each other guiltily and started talking really fast about something to do with an alien invasion, a zombie apocalypse and ended with something about the new cat. I could get heads or tails on it.

I sighed and sat in front of them, rubbing my forehead. "Okay, if you two clean all that up and any other mess you've made, I will take you on a bit of a walk to meet some animal friend of mine, okay?" Gazzy nodded and Nudge started talking, and not stopping. "YAYA, I am so happy, we are going to see some animals! Are they as cute as Secrets, or are they even cuter? Ooh, are they dangerous, because I've never met a dangerous animal before, but I have kinda met that big shark that tried to kill us, but he was nice, and I might get a shark shirt so I can tell people at school about it, but I don't think sharks go with my complexion, don't you?"

I was reeling from Nudges extra-large word vomit, and just pointed yet again at the couch. Gazzy and Nudge looked at each other guiltily and started cleaning up the couch while I went upstairs to get changed.

I put on my swimmers and called down the stairs "Once you're done, put on swimmers. You won't need a towel." A chorus of okay sounded back at me, and a minute later feet were heard thundering up the stairs. I sighed and shook my head. I swear those kids are going to be the death of me. Fifteen minutes later we were all walking out of the house towards the beach. The trip there was uneventful, with Nudge keeping up a running commentary about everything and anything around us. I tried my best to keep up with her, but damn that girl can talk. When we first started out she was talking about Secrets, but about halfway to the beach, Nudge had somehow started talking about shoes. I was going to go deaf if this kept up.

"Okay! Nudge, I think you have talked enough. Why don't you sing?" Gazzy and Nudge looked at me, Gazzy resembling my poor Angel so much that it hurt. They were still looking at me, and I started getting a little self-conscious.

"We don't sing in the band Max." Nudge stated.

"Yeah, only Fang sings, or sometimes Iggy, not us. I play the drums, and Nudge plays keyboard and trumpet when it's needed, and Fang and Iggy play guitar." I looked at Gazzy. He seemed sincere, but he and Nudge had a look I didn't really like… "Hey Max, why don't you sing? You would be better than us!" Nudge looked way too happy with her suggestion. I stuttered, trying to look for an excuse. The following conversation went something like this.

MAX: There aren't any instruments or anything!  
GAZZY: You don't always need music when you sing  
MAX: Uh, anybody could hear me!  
NUDGE: There's no one else here to listen, except us, but that doesn't really count, coz we are the ones you are singing to but…  
MAX: I can't sing!  
GAZZY: Everyone can sing!  
MAX: I don't know any good songs!  
NUDGE: All songs are good songs!

Eventually, my wealth of excuse knowledge dried up. I was backed into a corner with no way out. "Okay, I'll sing for you." Nudge and Gazzy cheered, while I searched for a song that wasn't too morbid for them. I decided on an old favourite: Superman. (A.N I do not own this song! It belongs to Five for Fighting! Please listen to it when you get the chance!)

_I can't stand to fly  
I'm not that naïve  
I'm just out to find  
The better part of me _

_I'm more than a bird  
I'm more than a plane  
More than some pretty face beside a train  
It's not easy to be me _

_Wish that I could cry  
Fall upon my knees  
Find a way to lie  
About a home I'll never see  
It may sound absurd  
but don't be naïve  
Even Heroes have the right to bleed  
I may be disturbed  
but won't you concede  
Even Heroes have the right to dream  
It's not easy to be me _

_Up, up and away  
away from me  
It's all right  
You can all sleep sound tonight  
I'm not crazy  
or anything: _

_I can't stand to fly  
I'm not that naïve  
Men weren't meant to ride  
With clouds between their knees _

_I'm only a man in a silly red sheet  
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street  
Only a man in a funny red sheet  
Looking for special things inside of me  
It's not easy to be me._

I ended the song on a sad note, looking down at the ground. We were almost at the beach. I looked up to see Nudge and Gazzy with captivated looks on their faces.

"What?" I asked, as the look in their eyes never wavered.

"Your singing was beautiful, Max." Gazzy said, and I just looked away, away from those eyes that looked so much like Angels. I wonder why I had never seen that before. I looked up and saw the beach, and something that wasn't good. Was not good at all.

**Hello everyone! I am, sadly, not dead! I am sorry for the long wait, i was busy trying to catch all of my plot bunnies, and then my computer decided to crash. But everything is fixed now, and i will try my best to update soon! I will give a preview to everyone who reviews! Just, remind me in the review otherwise i will probably forget! Oh, and the Guest who sent me a review: No, i am not dead, and i am sorry about how long it took for me to update. Andsi thought you could only post on a chapter once?**

**Artemisia Selene**


	17. Chapter 17

Max POV

There was a bunch of kids on the beach, kids from our school I was guessing, and they were all partying and having fun. The worst part of that was: The torture. They had found an innocent little wolf, one I recognized from my run a few nights ago, and were poking sticks at it and hitting it and who knows what else. I can proudly say I saw red.

"Stay here." I mumbled to Gazzy and Nudge, before storming up to the people on the beach.

"What the hell are you doing?" I growled, and a few people backed off slightly. I saw Fang and Iggy in the circle, and I ever so slightly lost it.

"You fucking idiots! You left your younger siblings in the house, alone, while you went off here and tortured this poor wolf!" My screaming seemed to send a few more people back, but at that moment in time, I didn't care. I stormed up to some random boy who was still poking the wolf, and gave him a roundhouse kick to the stomach.

The boy fell to the ground with a groan of pain, and the wolf took the chance to stumble to its feet and hide behind me. I could it trembling through the fabric of my swimmers, and I growled, sounding a lot like a wolf myself.

Some foolish idiot decided that it would be good to provoke me. They made a huge mistake. "Hey, freak show. Leave us alone, or get hurt." I turned towards the speaker, and laughed. He was a tall, muscular kid, but he had hardly any co-ordination, and his speed was non-existent. He rushed towards me, trying to overpower me with bulk instead of skill.

I simply ducked and rolled under his feet, bringing the small wolf with me, and aiming a high kick at his weak spot. With a yell of pain he was on the ground, and I was standing above him, the small bundle of fur safe in my arms. The idiots cronies rushed at me all at once and I ducked and weaved, landing on my back or elbows, my legs flying around to hit sensitive skin.

Within minutes they were down with their leader on the ground, and there was a large circle of people around me, looking scared.

I looked around the circle, my eyes landing on Iggy and Fang. "So, does anyone else want to try and attack me?"

Many people's eyes went wide as Fang stepped forward, taking off his jacket as he went. I swear some girls swooned and others fainted as he revealed his arms, which were toned, I admit, but they weren't as toned as mine, not that anyone would see them. "Oh, so the Emo singer wants to have a go at me, does he?"

Fang just rolled his eyes as some random girl in the circle around us shrieked. "Fangy-poo isn't Emo!"

I turned towards the red head I had floored that morning, and rolled my eyes. "Yeah, he just where's that black so that you idiotic witches with a capital B can drool all over him. You really are pathetic."

The red head, Lissa, just gasped, and Fang striked. His fist extended with lighting fast speed, his face set in a self-satisfied smirk, as if I hadn't just taken down 10 guys without breaking a sweat. Needless to say, I dodged his punch, spinning and using that momentum to catapult the wolf into the air. I aimed a few choice punches at certain parts of his anatomy, using up the rest of my momentum and sending Fang back a few paces.

I flipped backwards to catch the wolf, turning around again to catch a punch on my face. I stumbled back half a step, but I had misjudged the distance between me and the people behind me, and I was caught. My arms were held by what felt like a hundred hands as I got hit again, and again, Fang looking so angry I was surprised that everyone in a 15 metre radius hadn't spontaneously combusted.

When the wolf in my arms began to be targeted, I simply doubled over and tried to cover as much exposed skin as I could. The poor creature didn't deserve to be hit. No one deserves it.

The beating was starting to let up, and I could hear someone yelling. Wait, no, make that three people yelling. "What the hell is wrong with you people!?" It was Iggy, trying to make his way through the crowd that had surrounded me.

I heard another voice, higher and more feminine, trying to reason with the mob. "You are going to hurt her, and she could hurt you, and, hey, I will sue you all, I am a celebrity and you are all no good vultures, who think more about how much money a person has rather than who they are, like in the song Fang sung, and Fang, I disown you! You are an idiot, a slime ball, a psychopathic mad man, and I swear I will paint your room pink!" Yup, that was Nudge, ranting about an angry mob.

But, surprisingly, it was Gazzy who got through to everyone. "Hey! Triple Chilli burrito with beans and chilli sauce!" Everyone's head turned at that, facing the guy who had the power to evacuate cities in 10 minutes.

"If everyone bar Iggy and Nudge don't leave in the next two minutes, I will release a big one, and it will make the one at school seem like that disgusting perfume you FANGirls always wear. Now SCRAM!"

I don't think any of those girls had ever run so fast in their life. The entire beach was deserted in seconds, leaving just Gazzy, Iggy, Fang, Nudge and poor old me, huddled in a ball around a traumatized wolf. I looked up to see Nudge, Gazzy and Iggy in front of me, glaring their heads off at Fang.

I managed to stand up, even though my entire body was covered in bruises, and some of my cuts that hadn't entirely healed from my time in the Orphanage had broken back open, covering my skin in sticky liquid iron. Gazzy immediately came to my side, but I stood on my own, carefully walking forward and shielding the others with my body.

I didn't think that he would hurt them, but I wasn't going to trust him after what he did. It was better to be safe than sorry.

**Okay, who saw that coming? I certainly didnt. I swear this story has a mind of its own. Thank you for all who review and got a sneak peek, and if i missed anyone, i am sincerly sorry.**

**I will try and update soon, this is one of my higher ranking stories!**

**Artemisia Selene**


	18. Chapter 18

Max POV

I stared at Fang, trying to figure out his next move. He was just staring at his family, his mouth slightly open like he couldn't believe what his brothers and sister had done.

Iggy was standing to my left, his hands clenched in fists, his face so stormy that it gave me shivers. I took a small step away from him, just a tiny one, until I caught myself. He wasn't Jeb, or Anne, or any of the other torturers at the Orphanage, no matter how much he may look like them right now.

I heard Nudge and Gazzy walk up to me, two pairs of small hands holding mine as they stood on either side, my silent guardians keeping me up right. I flinched when Iggy walked up to Fang and hit him.

Fang stepped back in surprise, a hand going to his face. "What the hell was that for!?"

Iggy stepped back and gave Fang a good look. "You decided it was okay to hit Max, so I thought it would be absolutely fine to hit you back."

Fangs face went red, I could visibly see him getting angry. I lurched forward and reached for Iggy, bringing the loyal idiot behind me, where the angry emo kid wouldn't reach him. I kept a hand on Iggy though, if I let go, he might rush his brother, and even though he was an okay fighter, Iggy would be smashed to a pulp if Fang got a hold of him.

I took a small step forward and looked Fang in his dark brown eyes. "Fang, your fight isn't with Iggy or the others. If you are going to hurt anyone, hurt me, not them."

Fang looked at me in small surprise. I guess he didn't expect me to be so protective of his siblings. I took another step forward, and fell to the ground with a muffled groan, feeling a cut to my abdomen burn with invisible flames. It was one of my worst cuts, a deep slice through my muscles. I had always wrapped it tightly with bandages, and ignored the pain, but now, with my recent fight, it had opened and flooded my bandages.

Iggy and Gazzy reached for me, and even Fang made a small step forward only to be stopped by a livid Nudge. "What the hell did you do to her!?"

Nudge swung a small fi at him, which he easily dodged, while I was lifted t my feet by the two boys. "Max, are you okay? Where are you hurt?" Gazzy was running his hands over my swimsuit covered torso, trying to find where I was hurt.

"I, I'll b-b-b-be fine!" I stuttered, trying to stop his hands from reaching my back. "I j-j-j-just had an l-l-l-little bout of light h-h-headedness."

Iggy just glared at me in disbelief, before turning on Fang. "Get out of here now, otherwise I will hurt you."

Fang took one look at me, and I mustered up enough energy to give him a suitably scary glare, the kind I reserve for spawns of Satan like Jeb, and he ran like a pack of wolves were chasing him. Speaking of which… I looked down at the small pup in my arms, thankfully unhurt and only shaking a little bit.

I stood up slowly, clinging to Iggy's arm like a life raft, before letting go and beginning to walk home. We were all silent as we made our way back to the house, Iggy looking murderous and Nudge muttering about all the things she'd do to Fang next time her saw her.

Gazzy was silent, gently patting the small wolf in my arms, steading me when I wavered. Inside the house, I was gently but firmly pulled into the bathroom. By that stage I was too out of it with pain to do anything but feebly protest and try to stop Nudge from taking off my swimsuit to reveal the bandages underneath, running all over my torso and stomach, once white cloth circling my arms and legs. I saw more than felt new bandages coming on, warm water washing away the dried and new blood, a thin t-shirt and pair of leggings sliding over the small amount of unblemished skin I have left.

A small hand was guiding me to my room, and when I stumbled, a strong pair of arms caught me, picking up my numb body and swinging it into the air, placing me gently on the cool sheets and drawing up the covers.I felt a light touch on my forehead, and three warm bodies tuck themselves around me.

There was one tucked up against my back, and another under my chin, a wet nose against my throat. Another small body was draped over me, like it was trying to keep from flying away. I heard dreamy little mumbles and breathy little snores. I smiled with my eyes closed, half asleep already. _Nudge and Gazzy._ Another, slightly large hand was holding mine, and with it came a sense of brotherly feeling, a sense of protection against the creatures of the night. _Iggy. _I let myself fall entirely asleep, for once feeling safe and warm, surrounded by family.

**Hello everybody! i am really sorry about not updating, and i have no excuse other than getting too caught up with school work and doing extra work that wasn't really needed but i did anyway. this chapter is short, and is a bit of a filler, but you will see Iggy, Nudge and Gazzy's reaction to her scars, and hopefully why Fang went burko. Sorry for not updating!**

**Artemisia Selene**


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